The Portland daily press., 1887-08-13

window and managed to slide down the side
Others of the party did the same The car
was sight, the top parted and sides crushed
in. At the time of the accident there were 30
people in the car. Six got out alive. There
were hardly any lights to be had. The cars
caught fire, and there was no water Willow
switches and earth were used to put the
flames out with. He saw the most pathetic
sights, carryingltheir dead children
in their arms, children clamoring for their
parents, wounded persons crawling painfully
into the adjacent corn fields, and cries for
water and for help prevailing on all sides
Six young men from Canton in the front car
were saved by being thrown by the shock
through the parted roof.
Passengers to the Rescue.
III. W. White of Peoria, who was in the
second sleeper, says that the first car was
turned at right angles with the track and the
remaining II cars were telescoped and piled
up in heap. Several of the passengers
climbed upon the ears with axes and Ian
terms and went to work. The first man found
was William Stevens, confectioner. He
was dead. They pulled him out after some
effort, and then pulled his two daughters,
Emma and Ida, out. They were all dead
l LNCl1 Ouc WAS RIOdulDR anu CTYluR. llelT
feet seemed to be jammed and most of them
had broken legs. After an hour and half
| they cleared the car. Probably a dozen
bodies were taken out. Mr.. White then
| went down on the ground and assisted in
taking the dead down. They put plank up
and helped them out, sliding them down the
plank. If they were dead they put them in
one pile. If alive, they put them in another.
man was so horribly injured that his con-
| ditlon was beyoud description. He called
| for water incessantly, and when not able to
| obtain it, pulled revolver from his pocket
and shot himself through the head.
What the Officials say.
| AT o'clock this morning, Master Mechanic
Warren, WITH a wrecking train and a large
force of men were at -.'ark. Warren vas
confident that the track would be cleared fUI
trains by noon. They were certain that all
bodies had been removed from the wreck.
Other Toledo, Peoria s. Warsaw officials
were seen this morning. They have given
devoted attention to the relief of the injured
and the care of the dead. All show signs of
the terrible shock which the accident has
been to them. President Leonard said that
so far as the railroad officials could estimate,
there were about 100 killed and 100 seriously
wounded There are many who were slight
ly injured, of whom no record has yet been
obtained. Mr.. Leonard said that as near as
he could ascertain, the train was making
about 30 miles an hour at the time Of the ac.
cident The bridge, an ordinary fifteen feet
wooden structure, was all right at o'clock
in the afternoon, when train passed over 1t.
and half an hour later section men inspected
it. under orders, III advance of the excursion
train, and 1t was all right then. The esti-
mates of the dead this morning are unchang-
ed. The coroner's revised list up to the time
the inquest was resumed today, foots pp 76.
A m m firm 4t..L Is..f
that several bodies are still under the debris.
The Horror Deepening.
The horrors of the wreck seemed deepen
ing early this morning instead of lessening.
This morning new facts, apparently showing
the catastrophe to be the work OF an organ
lied band came to light and the company find
them worthy of serious investigation. Super
intendent Armstrong said the more he inves-
tigated the more it appeared to him that the
bridge had been set on fire. The burned
grass in its immediate locality was not of
nature that seemed likely to admit of the
bridge catching from it, He had observed
many thieves at work and had stopped them
while despoiling the wreck of property and
| money.
The excursion had been extensively ad-
| vertised and the time it would pass over the
bridge was we'll known. Citizens say that
| gang of suspicious looking fellows have been
| lettering around Chatsworth for some days
| Many of these were found at the wreck pay
ing more attention to relieving the bodies of
| valuables than to caring for them otherwise.
| The train men and passengers had frequent
collisions with these men. While the people
| of the town have done all in their power for
| the sufferers there is horde of tramps and
| thieves in the vicinity who do nothing but
carry off anything they can get their hands
on.
Was the Bridge Fired?
At the coronsr's inquest Timothy Cough
| lin, section foreman, testified that he had
| four men helping him on his six and half
| miles route Hereceived orders on Wednes-
| day to cover his section and see that the
bridges and track were all right. Coughlin
went to the east end Of the section and
| burned the grass along the track for half
mile. He burned piece little over half
mile from the wreck and put the fire out
he examined the bridge about o'clock and
| founk no smoke about it, and otherwise it
was all right About three weeks ago the
| grass under the bridge had been cut away
for ten feet from the bridge timbers and he
had no idea how tie bridge could have
| caught fire.
| Christopher Ennis, road master for the
line from the State line to Peoria, said he
| went over the road Wednesday from Fair
burg to Gilman. He went over the fatal
| bridge just before o'clock in the af ternoon.
| He was on the rear end of the car and saw
that the bridge was all right. There was no
fire or smoke about the bridge. Ennis said
his opinion was that the bridge was set on
fire by somebody. His train was the last
train over before the special, and if there
was fire there the men would have discovered
it. The bridge could have burned in two
or three hours About three years ago two
attempts were made to ditch the 10 O'Clock
passenger train at that bridge, and the road
| kent a Tatchman there for six weeks OBJ
structions were piled on the track. 1t is a
very lonesome place, and far from any
house.
Robbing the Victims.
Miller Patterson, when he left home, car
ried a silver watch and $50. Only about
$3.50 was found on the body. A man, ap-
parently a tramp, about so years Of age, was
caught in the act of robbing a corpse He
was spotted afterwards by young man and
made to leave for Piper City. For three
hours. woman was hanging out of a car
window. The lifeless body was caught by
the thighs and it took fifteen minutes to ex-
tricate her. The legs were terribly mangled
| the flesh being torn completely off. When
| one man got out Of the cars, near him was a
woman with fine gold watch and chain.
She was badly injured and cried with an
guish, "Oh, God help me-" The man turned,
apparently to assist her, but instead stopped
over and grabbed. the watch and chain and
fled. The rescuing party saw watches,
| chains and pocketbooks scattered around.
Such as had time, picked up the articles and
restored them to their owners.
Robberies Seen by Passengers.
The train wreckers are working both ways
on the wreck, and it is almost certain that
they not get the track cleared before to-
morrow night. In the third coach from the
engine, was man, wife and daughter When
the wreck occurred he lost his hand satchel
but afterwards found it with his pocketbook
? gone, which contained sos.
: James Burling, of Ferris, was in the third
car from the front, and was but slightly in.
: jured He says AT first thought the cal
: was off the track as we went humping
along. Almost instantly it stopped, and al